Wagner head says his forces will leave Bakhmut on May 10

Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Russia‍‍`s Wagner Group mercenary force, said today that his forces would leave the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on May 10.

"I declare on behalf of the Wagner fighters, on behalf of the Wagner command, that on May 10, 2023, we are obliged to transfer positions in the settlement of Bakhmut to units of the defence ministry and withdraw the remains of Wagner to logistics camps to lick our wounds," Prigozhin said in a statement.

"I‍‍`m pulling Wagner units out of Bakhmut because in the absence of ammunition they‍‍`re doomed to perish senselessly."

Wagner has been spearheading Russia‍‍`s attempt to capture Bakhmut since last summer, in the longest and bloodiest battle of the war in Ukraine.